Comment: Republicans Kill DREAM - The Senate voted 55 yeas to 41 nays to invoke cloture on DREAM. Since 60 votes, a super-majority, is needed to invoke cloture, DREAM died by 5 votes. 3 Republicans – Lugar, Murkowski and Bennett crossed party lines to support DREAM. On the other hand, 5 Democrats voted against DREAM – Nelson of Nebraska, Pryor, Baucus, Tester, and Hagan. Mr. Tester in particular, may find his NO vote was costly. Some Democrats took a brave stance in voting for DREAM, Ms. McCaskill deserves particular credit. Immigration has often drawn cross-party support, and cross-party opposition. This was not in evidence much in the DREAM vote, the party lines were quite clear. 4 Senators missed the vote – Bunning and Gregg who are retiring from Congress, Mr. Manchin who was at holiday parties with family and Mr. Hatch who chickened out, even though he was an original co-sponsor of DREAM. There are two clear consequences of the DREAM vote, both pointing in the same direction, which we explore below, together with one outlying condition which can change that direction.
The first consequence of the DREAM vote is to clear the path for the Obama adminstration to use executive-branch action to effectuate immigration benefits. The Obama administration had always argued for record-breaking immigration enforcement, partly on the grounds that this would create the right atmosphere to get Republican votes for immigration reform. Clearly, that strategy did not work. However, since majorities of both chambers in Congress have voted for DREAM, this does set the stage for the Obama administration to proceed with a TPS-like status for the DREAMers, something that would not need any Congressional support at all, and which could be achieved through unilateral executive branch action. Cyrus Mehta and Gary Endelman write about a number of executive branch options, see below.
The second consequence of the near-party-line DREAM vote, when combined with the November election (when Rubio in Florida, Martinez in New Mexico and Sandoval in Nevada won those states for the GOP), points to a future where the path to success within the GOP in some states requires a Spanish last name. The chances for non-Latino conservative GOP leaders to win in states like California, Nevada, Florida are not good. In a sense, equal opportunity has come to the GOP party leadership, a distinctly unintended consequence of the GOP’s recent anti-immigration stance.
However, the above two scenarios do not have to happen, it is to an extent, in the hands of the incoming House GOP majority. The party-based DREAM vote is very much a danger for the GOP, both long term and short term – because what is long term for Iowa or Ohio is short term for California or Florida. If the incoming GOP House were to pass large-scale employment-based immigration benefits, the GOP would dodge the anti-immigrant label that promises to do the GOP election damage in some states, just as it promises election benefits in others. However, should the incoming GOP House decide to pursue anti-immigrant legislation, they would achieve two things: (i) push the Democratic party to seek immigration benefits through unilateral, executive-branch action and (ii) destroy the prospects of up-and-coming non-Latino conservative leaders within their ranks in some of the country’s most populous states. We will soon see how the new GOP wants to tackle immigration.

Focus: Global Migration
Tuesday, December 21 is the deadline to sign up for the Thursday, December 23 phone session of "Consular Processing For Experts" with Shanni Alexandrovitz, Stephen Pattison, Sal Savatteri and others. The curriculum is as follows:

Overview of Multiple Jurisdictions

Current Hot Topics in Global Migration

Trends in the Field-Including Special Focus on Changes in UK Immigration Guidance

Headline: Napolitano: Murdered agent was on a team pursuing a gang of bandits when he was killed in gunbattle http://ow.ly/3s0sjHeadline: America always finds a way to solve its problems. It is not easy but it is the American way- Ted Kennedy after '07 vote http://ow.ly/3rZTJHeadline: DREAM Act dies in Senate: GOP & dems who stood against immigrant communities will be held accountable at the polls http://ow.ly/3rZmnHeadline: The Dream Dies: Senate Rejects Immigration Bill http://ow.ly/3rXzWHeadline: RT @MicEvHill: The absent senators for the DREAM Act cloture vote were Bunning (R-KY),Gregg (R-NH),Hatch (R-UT), and Manchin (D-WV).
Headline: Urge your senator to support the DREAM Act. Send a fax now! http://ow.ly/3raDe.
Headline: Servers of @numbersusa r failing, that means they r blasting Congress w/ emails & faxes. DREAM activists, start emailing & faxing your reps!
Headline: Antis monitoring DREAMers on Twitter n using DREAMers' ideas: http://ow.ly/3r5YyHeadline: Antis gearing up to shut down Senate switchboard, they fear that DREAMers will take credit! http://ow.ly/3r5EtHeadline: Antis dominate on faxes, evenly matched on phones, DREAMers dominate Twitter. So reach Senators on their Twitter accounts!
Headline: Don't be left out: Get listed! Sign up for ILW.COM Attorney Yellow Pages at http://ow.ly/3idRPHeadline: Judge: Immigration agents not immune to legal action for New Haven raid http://ow.ly/3r1toHeadline: Antis report Hagan office is asking for zips, color of state flag, and name of county.
Headline: Markos Moulitsas of DailyKos: DREAM Act whip count http://ow.ly/3qYETHeadline: Nurse Immigration Book: your guide 4 preparing a case, understanding the nursing crisis & recruiting nurses. Get ur copy http://ow.ly/3idgdHeadline: "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," DREAM Act, Head to Senate for Votes This Weekend http://ow.ly/3qQYKhttp://ow.ly/3qR0v

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